Warily, U.S. reaches out to Syria

Damascus talks pose risks for both countries

Talks with Syria pose risks for both countries

March 04, 2009|By Paul Richter, Tribune correspondent

JERUSALEM — The Obama administration is dispatching two U.S. officials to Damascus for exploratory talks with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday in a new signal of the White House's determination to reach out to longtime adversaries.

Clinton, in Jerusalem for her first talks with Israeli officials, described the upcoming meetings as "preliminary conversations" intended to probe whether the Syrian government is serious about a new relationship with the United States.

She told reporters in a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that while the outcome is uncertain, "it is a worthwhile effort to go and begin" the talks.

The U.S. officials are Jeffrey Feltman, the acting U.S. secretary of state for the Middle East, and Daniel Shapiro, the ranking official for the Middle East at the National Security Council and former Mideast adviser to the Obama presidential campaign. Feltman is a former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

The two men will leave this weekend for Damascus for a series of meetings expected to last a few days. Because the talks are preliminary, they're not expected to meet Assad.

The administration of President Barack Obama -- who campaigned on a promise of outreach to adversaries -- also plans an overture to Iran, and Clinton has appointed a high-level envoy to advise her on U.S. policy toward Tehran.

Administration officials see the possibility of a new relationship with Damascus as part of a strategic realignment in the region.

A shift could dilute Syria's relationship with Iran, weaken the Syrian-supported Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups and make it easier for Israel to reach a peace settlement with Palestinians, they believe.

Administration officials have sent positive signals to Damascus in their first weeks in office. These include a move to ease export controls and a meeting in Washington between Feltman and Syria's ambassador to the U.S.

At an international conference Monday in Egypt, Clinton said U.S. officials were interested in "comprehensive" Mideast talks -- a signal that the Syrians should be involved.

A thaw with Damascus would reverse the policy of the Bush administration, which withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which was blamed on pro-Syrian officials.

But an opening to Syria also holds risks for the United States. In Lebanon, moderate political groups have expressed concern that their interests could be sacrificed by the U.S. effort.

For example, they fear the possibility of U.S. compromise on the international tribunal investigating the slaying of Hariri, which could ease pressure on Damascus.

The White House has sought to reassure the Lebanese by supporting the country's sovereignty and by adding $6 million in support for the tribunal.

Israel began indirect talks with Syria through Turkish mediators last year, hoping they would lead to negotiations on a peace treaty.

Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in December that Syria "wants to reconnect with the West."

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, who is struggling to form a new unity government, explored the option of a new relationship with Syria when he headed the government in the late 1990s.

However, before the most recent elections, Netanyahu declared his opposition to moves that would be at the heart of any deal, such as giving up the Golan Heights region, captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

Some experts doubt that Syria ultimately would agree to a deal with the United States.

David Schenker, a former Pentagon Mideast expert now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that a tie to the United States would mean ending Syria's 30-year bond with Iran that has been a pillar of economic and military support for the Assad regime.